A Complicated Romance
by faery-of-fiction
Summary: In a world where the first word your soulmate says to you is tattooed on your body Atobe is a policeman who after an encounter with a thief ends up discovering his soulmate. (AU)


Notes: Originally written for the tenipuri-xpair exchange on livejournal.

-0-0-0-0-

Oshitari Yuushi gave a loud sigh into his coffee mug for the fifth time causing Atobe to finally stop working on his report and look over at him.

"What's wrong?" Atobe asked and then added on before Oshitari could answer. "No, let me guess. Another one broke up with you." Oshitari had the worst luck when it came to dating despite being the biggest romantic that Atobe knew.

"Yes….And this time we were only a month into the relationship. She broke up with me on our one month anniversary date," Oshitari said before giving another sigh.

"I do believe this makes you officially cursed." At some point things had to move beyond bad luck and into cursed territory after all. "How many is this now?"

"This was number ten. And I don't believe in being cursed."

"You've reached double digits, Oshitari. I do believe it's a sign of being cursed. Whenever someone who has yet to find their soulmate dates you, you always end up breaking up because they end up finding their one true partner."

"No. There was the one who didn't break up with me because of that," Oshitari objected. Atobe just raised an eyebrow at him, expecting him to elaborate.

"Well… not only because of that… I mean, I think they would have broken up with me either way."

Atobe chuckled at that and then shook his head at his friend. "No. You're definitely cursed. Though I'm sure if people knew about the details of it, they'd be lining up to date you to help you find their soulmate."

"Does that mean you'll finally accept my invitation for dinner?" Oshitari asked leaning across his desk and toward Atobe.

"I'm not that desperate," Atobe said.

"Yet."

"Never." And he leaned forward and flicked a finger at Oshitari's nose.

Oshitari made a face and leaned back in his chair. "Maybe Tezuka will date me instead."

"Unlikely. He's the type to wait forever for his chosen partner to appear. Though perhaps if you advertise your magical services of being able to make that person appear faster Tezuka might be inclined to indulge you."

"What might I be inclined to do?" Tezuka asked as he came up behind Atobe, his police uniform immaculately pressed and his hat in his hands.

"Date Oshitari," Atobe said as he reached for his own hat, blatantly ignoring Oshitari's gestures to drop the topic.

Tezuka looked over at Oshitari and then at Atobe. "Why would I do that?"

"Because of his curse. I'll tell you about it while we do our rounds. It will give us something to do." Atobe knew that Oshitari would prefer if he didn't gossip but all he got was another sigh and friendly yet exasperated shake of the head from his friend. He also knew his partner would prefer a comfortable silence as they drove around for their rounds but where was the fun in that?

Besides, what was the point in being three of the youngest cops at their station and all still waiting for their tattoos to appear symbolizing they've found their soulmate if they couldn't all tease each other about it from time to time? If Atobe could find a sense of humour about his one and only flaw as an immaculate human being so far then surely Oshitari and Tezuka could as well.

Atobe also enjoyed, in his more free times at his desk, comparing how the three of them went about handling their situation. You found your soulmate by exchanging words with them. And the first words you spoke would then be forever tattooed somewhere on your partner's body. It was all rather mysterious and romantic and also rather depressing how many people had something like 'hello' or 'excuse me' on their bodies.

Atobe, who wished to find his partner but did not wish for them to be covered in something so mundane, chose his words carefully when interacting with someone for the first time. Tezuka took the route of saying as little as possible to as few people as possible. At least until he determined their soulmate status. Though even then he could be quite stoic. And then Oshitari took to talking to everyone and everything in seductive tones and drawled out words. Which was probably why Oshitari was willing to hone other skills on others still waiting for their soulmate while he waited for his own to appear.

Atobe had dated a few people but nothing seriously and found it odd to date someone when you knew that it was likely to not work out. No matter what was said, if the person you were dating found their soulmate, that was the end of it. He only had to look at Oshitari for proof of that. Then there was Tezuka who Atobe was sure had never even been on so much as a coffee date.

As Tezuka drove them around the city on their patrol, Atobe snuck casual glances at him and contemplated just what Tezuka's soulmate might be like and when the two would meet. Would the person be male or female? Intelligent? Beautiful? It was much more enjoyable to imagine these things for Tezuka and Oshitari than himself. It was impossible not to but he also did not wish to spend too much time on it and be completely wrong and end up disappointed.

"Atobe. Stop daydreaming. We have a call," Tezuka said breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Ah, yes." Atobe picked up the radio to respond and all thoughts of soulmates and disappointment were replaced with doing his job and keeping his partner, himself and the city safe.

-0-0-0-0-

"Niou, there's police approaching," A voice whispered in his ear through the ear bud he was wearing there. Niou looked at the artifact he had carefully bundled and was now slipping into his bag and then out toward the door as if he could judge how long he still had without seeing anything useful.

Once the artifact was secure, Niou moved his hand to press a button to reply. "No problem."

"Niou. I want that in one piece."

"What about me?" Niou asked with a teasing grin as he started cleaning up his tools.

"You're like a stray cat with infinite lives. Now hurry up."

Niou laughed at that and then got serious as he looked around. The site was clean. Now to leave. He slung the bag onto his back and started heading to his planned route when he saw the beam of a flashlight up ahead.

Apparently these police were the speedy type. But it didn't matter. He had a backup route planned and it was easy enough to switch to it.

"You. Stop there," An authoritative voice commanded as Niou was drenched in light from the flashlight in the policeman's hand.

Authoritative or not, he wasn't about to stop to listen to it. He dashed behind a display case and then closed his eyes to give them a second to adjust back to the dimly lit museum before making a dash from the current room and into one that was designed like a swamp land filled with plants and animals. He knew an emergency exit was hidden back behind some tall reeds and he was sure he could reach that well before the guy with the flashlight could reach him. Or worse, think to shoot him.

He heard more commands and shouts as he ran but didn't pay too much attention to them as he deftly maneouvered the displays. He let out a satisfied sound as the bar to open the door gave under his weight and he found himself outside. But no time to celebrate yet. Just in case the police found the door in a timely manner he couldn't have it opening up as easily. A quickly placed rod through the door handle and wedged correctly would give them enough trouble with the door for Niou to get away.

Giving a satisfied smile, he looked around before starting to stroll down the alley where he would then climb up the stairwell and essentially disappear into the night.

"Thief! Stop where you are!" Came yelled orders from the other side of the alley.

Niou gave a stumble at the words and quickly spun around to look at the new comer. He didn't stumble because of the words as he really didn't have a good track record of listening to what police had to say but because of the sudden warm sensation he had felt on his side. He knew he hadn't been shot and he had read enough about soulmate tattoos to know that he had just been marked. Of course his one true partner would be a cop. Fate was even more of a trickster than he was.

He just gave a big grin as the policeman approached, because there was no doubt it was a man, even if the light was behind the guy and making it hard for Niou to discern features. He could still have easily run away but for now he held his ground. At the first words from the policeman, even with the distraction of his tattoo forming his mind had already planned out the next thirty or so moves that either of them could take and how he could escape.

But he didn't want to escape. Not yet. He wanted to see what his supposed soulmate looked like. And maybe, just maybe, say something to mark him, too. It was only fair to return the favour after all.

"Put your hands up where I can see them."

Niou considered the scenario a moment longer, sure that he could still escape when needed as the guy's partner from earlier hadn't shown up yet. So with grin still in place he raised his hands out to his side and waited for the policeman to step closer.

"Good. Now keep them there." The cop reached to his belt to pull out his handcuffs and moved closer.

Niou tilted his head to the side and studied the light coloured hair beneath the police cap and the beauty mark under the man's eye. He was certainly attractive so Fate wasn't being a complete bitch to him but the guy was still a cop trying to arrest him.

His eyes flicked down to the name badge on the man's chest and then back to his face just as the other was reaching for his wrist to put on the first cuff. He grinned and leaned in to whisper one word that he was sure would be forever marked on his body.

"Puri." He smirked as the other's eyes widened knowing that it had worked. He then swung out his leg to trip him while his attention was diverted and then reached up for the ladder to continue his escape plan. The route would have to change but he was confident in his ability to reach the roof before his soulmate, Atobe, recovered enough to give chase.

He let out a laugh as he disappeared from sight and off to the rendezvous point.

-0-0-0-0-

"Were you injured?" Yukimura asked though his eyes stayed on the artifact that he was examining.

Niou realized he was prodding the spot where his new soulmate tattoo was and quickly moved his hands away. "No. I'm fine."

"It would serve him right if he wasn't. It was careless to take so long to escape and just what were you doing in the alley that took so long?" Sanada asked. Or more like demanded. Sanada had many skills but nuanced conversation wasn't really one of them.

"What's it matter to you? I got the stuff Yukimura wanted and didn't caught." Niou hated answering to Sanada. They were both extremely loyal to Yukimura but they didn't have the same sort of respect and friendship with each other. They didn't hate each other but they weren't about to go on movie dates and willingly hang out for the day unless Yukimura was there, too.

"It matters to me if you fail your mission and then somehow drag Yukimura into your mess."

"My mess? He's the one who asked me to pick that up." Niou enjoyed the thrill of putting together a heist and carrying it out but he doubt he'd go for the risky things like he did if Yukimura wasn't the one requesting them. And he wasn't the type to sell out his friend even if he were to get caught one day… well, he might consider selling out Sanada… if the deal was really good. But he didn't need to tell Sanada that.

Sanada humphed at that and crossed his arms to glare at Niou. But any further bickering between them was interrupted when Yukimura set the artifact down and looked over at them.

"If you're not injured then what has you so distracted?" Yukimura asked as he began walking toward them.

"Nothin'..." Niou said in what he knew was an entirely unconvincing manner. Damn it, he never was that good at lying to Yukimura. At least not when he sort of really wanted to tell him the truth. He could use his advice on this one but he just wasn't really ready to admit just what had happened.

"Nothing?" Yukimura said, his eyes going right to the spot the tattoo was as if he could see through his clothes.

"Mostly nothing?" Niou said though it was certainly more a question.

"Show me."

Niou shook his head. Showing Yukimura was one thing but did Sanada have to be hanging out beside him at the same time?

"Sanada?"

Sanada gave a nod to Yukimura and started moving toward Niou. Niou let out a sound of protest and jumped back. "Fine I'll show you. Call off the gorilla." He could dash away from Sanada but he didn't want to risk getting into a tussle with him. Sanada made an excellent enforcer and once he had a hold on you, there was no wriggling away. Niou knew this from experience and he wasn't interested in doing it again.

Sanada looked over at Yukimura and the two of them exchanged smirks that made Niou want to kick Sanada's shin but since Sanada was no longer approaching to wrap him in a horrible bear hug, he refrained. For now. He could always get revenge with a silly prank later.

But now both pairs of eyes were on him, obviously waiting for him to follow up his words with actions. He sighed and lifted up his shirt to show off the tattoo of the word 'thief' in fancy cursive font.

"You found your soulmate?" Sanada asked, a slight disbelief to his tone.

"And someone who doesn't approve of your hobby by the looks of it." Yukimura reached out to trace the lettering.

"He's a cop... " Niou said with a frown.

"That's why you were slow? You were talking with him?" Sanada asked.

"I wouldn't say talking… I just wanted to get a look at him. No point having a soulmate if you don't know the guy's name, right?"

"Did you learn it?"

"Atobe." Niou and Yukimura both looked up at Sanada. He ran classes that taught kendo to local police officers and there was a good chance the name would be familiar to him.

"I know him."

"And?" Niou asked.

"He's an arrogant ass. His family comes from money and I'm not entirely convinced he doesn't see police work as a hobby." There was a pause as Sanada frowned before he spoke again, though it sounded somewhat reluctant. "He does work hard though… and is mostly skilled."

"Damn. I hope we haven't robbed his family before."

"Even if we did. We don't have to tell him about it," Yukimura said which made Niou think that they had indeed stolen from the Atobe family at some point and he just wasn't connecting the name with the artifact or painting at the moment.

"You think we'll meet again then?"

"He's your soulmate," Sanada said. Because in Sanada's world, everything was black and white and simple like that. Soul mates stayed together no matter how difficult the circumstances might seem at first.

"He's a cop who wants to arrest me."

"He's not going to be foolish enough to arrest his soulmate. Especially if he's been waiting this long to find his."

"Maybe he hasn't been waiting. Maybe he's having some steamy romance with is partner and now he's pissed that his soulmate turned up and is a thief," Niou countered.

"There's only one way to find out."

"You're encouraging me to go out and find a cop who knows I just stole that and say hi?"

"Too cowardly to face the one fate chose for you?" Sanada asked. Of course he would back up Yukimura even if the idea would have him frowning if Niou had suggested it.

"No way. Just… it'd be nice to not get arrested."

"Then don't meet him at the station." Was Yukimura's suggestion before he tugged Niou's shirt back into place to cover up the tattoo. "I need to meet the buyer for this item. So you'll have some time to think on your own." He gave a nod to Niou and then turned back to the item that they had just got and would now be selling on.

"Try not to mess this up," Sanada said before turning as well to put on his suit jacket. He usually went along as Yukimura's security and enforcer. It wouldn't do for the client to try to get something for nothing after all. And Niou knew that if he was a buyer he'd think twice about double crossing Yukimura if Sanada's hulking form was there glaring at him. But then what the clients didn't know was that Yukimura was the one they really had to look out for. He smiled to himself at the thought and tried not to think too much on his new tattoo and what it all meant.

-0-0-0-0-

"So you saw the elusive thief that has been evading us for months now?" Oshitari asked as he handed over a mug of coffee to Tezuka and then to Atobe before sitting down at his desk with his own mug.

Tezuka gave a small nod of thanks to Oshitari before taking a small sip of his coffee. His shift should have ended hours ago but because of the thief incident he and Atobe had been stuck doing paperwork and in interviews with their superiors sharing any and all information they had learned. "There's been robberies similar to this style for at least two years now though the frequency has been increasing lately. It was only a matter of time until the thief got careless."

"That's true," Atobe said before taking a sip. His partner had been distracted since he had found him in the alley and while encountering a famous thief up close and then losing him at the last moment was a devastating thing he didn't think that quite explained Atobe's mood. But if Atobe hadn't mentioned anything in their interviews or reports, he decided to not press it at the station. At least not for now.

"So what was he… or she…like?"

"He," Tezuka said. He usually let Atobe do the talking but he had a feeling that he wasn't his usual talkative self. "He seemed nimble and sure of himself. He knew the layout of the museum well, even in the dark. So it makes me think that he had studied it thoroughly beforehand."

"That would make sense. And you two split up?"

Clearly Oshitari had stayed so late not to be a good friend but to get all of the gossip. But Tezuka just nodded. "He went out a side exit and jammed it from outside. So it was a good thing Atobe had gone around to secure the property and look for a getaway vehicle."

"The car must have been further away from the property. There wouldn't have been public transit running at that time of night," Atobe said thoughtfully though with the way his eyes were considering the coffee, it was apparent that he wasn't fully involved in the conversation.

"He's a tricky one. I have a feeling we'll see him again."

"Do you think nearly being caught will spook him into hiding?"

"It's possible. We're hoping it will make him more daring and careless. If he wants to prove he's not afraid of us, he'll be bold and will give us more chances to catch him," Tezuka replied. It was hard to guess what a thief they knew so little about would do. But the police and the museums would hopefully all be on high alert until the thief was caught.

"True. I'm sure we'll all be briefed about it in tomorrow's meeting."

Tezuka nodded and took a long drink of his coffee, nearly draining it. "We should go home and get some rest while we can then."

When Atobe didn't respond right away, Tezuka nudged his chair discreetly with his foot, causing Atobe to look his way. "Do you need a ride home?"

Atobe reached over for his phone to check the time and then nodded. "That would be helpful. It's a bit late to call for a car."

"It's no problem. You're not so far out of the way. Oshitari, are you okay?"

"Yes. I drove today, too."

"And your partner?" Atobe asked as he finished his coffee.

"Gone home hours ago. Not quite as interested in burglaries as I am apparently."

"Perhaps he'll acquire one overnight. Our precinct might find themselves more central to the investigation now," Tezuka said.

"I'll be sure to tease him about it tomorrow. Have a good night you two."

"You as well," Tezuka said.

"And thank you for the coffee," Atobe added on. He then stood and began collecting his things. "Are we going like this?"

"I think it will be easier to just change at home than here,' Tezuka said. He picked up their mugs and brought them to the little kitchenette before getting his own things together to head home. He hoped Atobe might be willing to talk in the car. Tezuka found the technique of being silent often encouraged Atobe to share his thoughts and it was something he planned on doing tonight.

-0-0-0-0-

The car ride had been mostly quiet after the initial polite conversation had finished. Atobe knew what Tezuka was doing and what he expected to happen and Atobe hated that it was working. He wanted to share this with someone and he trusted his partner to not go gossiping about it. Gossiping was just not in Tezuka's genetic make up. But it wasn't easy to talk about and he felt that admitting it would make it real.

Though Atobe wasn't sure it could get much realer. Denying it was hardly going to make the ridiculous tattoo on his chest disappear.

As they neared his home, Atobe knew he was running out of time to confess freely and started wondering what Tezuka would do if he didn't. His partner was respectful of personal boundaries and was rarely drawn into the station gossip despite Oshitari's best efforts. But this was something that might affect their work and Atobe was fairly positive that Tezuka also saw them as friends, as he did. So that might give him more confidence in asking what really happened.

Deciding that the distraction of pondering what Tezuka would do if he stayed silent was preferred to his other thoughts he waited and tried not to rub the mark hidden under his clothes.

When Tezuka pulled up in front of his home, he parked and looked over at Atobe. Atobe wanted to turn away because Tezuka's look said he knew far more than he would have liked. But he was supposed to be the one with the insight, not Tezuka.

"Show me," Tezuka said after the silent staring contest had produced no results.

"Show you? What?" Atobe asked. He didn't mean to play dumb. He was just so thrown off by Tezuka's direct command that he couldn't quite process what he wanted to see.

"You're either injured or the thief we ran into marked you. So show me."

Atobe couldn't help but admire Tezuka's straight forward way of dealing with things. It could be annoying at times when the other just glossed over social niceties to save time or energy but in moments like this, not dealing with awkward drawn out moments helped. He gave a nod and reached to undo the top buttons of his uniform, pulling it to the side so Tezuka could see the tattoo.

Tezuka gave a small sigh as he looked at the tattoo. "Puri? What does that mean?" He asked.

"Hell if I know. But the bastard said it in such a smug way. Maybe it's his thief tag or name or something."

"It's a possibility. He obviously knew that you were his mate though by the time he said it."

"Yes. I was yelling at him to stop. So I'm sure his tattoo is just as romantic…" Atobe had had dreams of artistic and lovely words being exchanged with his soulmate and branded on each other forever. And now he had the idiotic nothing of puri. And who knew what had stuck to the idiot thief.

"This complicates things though," Tezuka said as he gently traced the outline of the 'p'.

"I didn't know you were taken to understatements," Atobe said as he looked out the window at his house. He did not need to see Tezuka examining the tattoo on his chest.

"I'm not. But there's no law saying that you must go out with your soulmate," Tezuka said as he leaned back, clearly done with looking at the word for now.

"They hardly need one since the majority are inherently drawn to their soulmates and stay with them willingly." Atobe began doing up his shirt.

Tezuka gave a nod, apparently not ready to argue something that was so well known and true. "Then you have decisions to make. I can't say I will support all of the possibilities. But I won't try to stop you from making them."

Atobe supposed that coming from a person who was as righteous and noble as Tezuka that that should mean a lot. Really he just wanted to hit his head against the dashboard. He had been hoping his friend would have some sort of insight on how to proceed from here. But this was his life and not Tezuka's and they had to be his decisions. He was sure Tezuka would listen to him, no matter how uncomfortable the topics made him but in the end, he was the one that had to choose.

"You're right. I think I'll go in and start thinking about them," Atobe said as he reached for his bag.

"You know how to reach me if you need me."

"I do. Thank you, Tezuka."

Tezuka gave a nod and waited long enough for Atobe to leave the car and get the house door open before driving off. Atobe watched his car disappear into the distance before heading in fully. It was good that someone else knew now. But he just wished that Tezuka had been more help.

-0-0-0-0-

A long bath and several glasses of champagne had helped his thoughts settle down from the anxiousness he'd been feeling since the encounter with the thief and while he hadn't had much mental capacity left to think of what he was going to do about this, he had come to one realization as he was drifting off. He had no idea who the thief was. So even if he had wanted to meet him, he wouldn't know where to start.

The next day as he was eating a late breakfast, Atobe mulled over this new predicament and wondered if it could be a sign that he should ignore his soulmate and the way of the world and just continue on as if he wasn't branded. There were plenty of the people in the world who lived a fulfilling life having never met their soulmates or who had tragically lost them. He had been the former until just yesterday after all.

He sighed into his eggs. That was a lie. He had been functioning and going through the motions just fine but he could admit to himself that there was something missing and that dates with others left him feeling a little hollow no matter how well they kissed.

Clearly the only course of action was to hunt down the thief, throw him in jail and then marry the bastard once he was released on probation. Wonderful.

Set on hunting the idiot who said things like puri down, Atobe hastily finished his breakfast and went upstairs to change and grab his clean police uniform to take with him into work. He would go to the gym for his tri-weekly muscle strengthening workout and then tell Tezuka that their top priority was now catching this thief.

With determination pumping through his blood, he finished his workout in record time and headed for the locker room to shower off, change and get to the station. But he froze in his tracks at who he saw leaning against the locker.

"Puri," The thief said and then had the audacity to give him a wink.

"You! Stop saying that." It was not the most eloquent thing to say but he just did not want to hear that word again. Not from that idiot anyway. Even if he had resolved to throw him in jail and marry him it didn't mean they had to get along right away…

"Don't you like it?"

"No. And move so I can get my handcuffs and arrest you," Atobe said going up to him and nudging him out of the way. He could hear Tezuka's voice telling him not to be careless but the man was his soulmate, surely he wasn't about to stab him. Especially not after tracking him down. "And this is a private gym. How did you get in here?"

"I'm a thief. See, I even have it branded on me." The guy paused to lift his shirt and show off the fancy script spelling out thief along his hip bone. Atobe tried not to stare too intently at what his own careless word had done to the other. "So breaking into places is my speciality."

"I doubt I'm the first one to call you a thief," Atobe said nudging him again and opening his locker to reach for his towel. If he was going to arrest the guy, he wanted to make sure he wasn't dripping sweat everywhere. Besides, it seemed a safe bet that the thief wasn't about to run from him.

"Definitely not. But I bet I'm the first person to say puri to you. So where is it?"

And suddenly Atobe regretted going to his locker and putting himself nearly into a corner as the thief boxed him in. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Thinking about arresting the man and marrying him in his head was one thing but now face to face with him and having to deal with his manic presence was rather off putting. He was usually much more confident and suave dealing with people which just made this even more frustrating.

"I think you do. Come on, show me." The thief reached for his t-shirt and began tugging it up. "Hmm not where mine is… Higher or lower?"

"This isn't a game," Atobe said batting at his hands. "And I refuse to be stripped by a person I don't even know the name of."

"Niou Masaharu," Niou answered before pushing the shirt up higher despite the protesting hands.

Atobe let his guard down for a moment at learning Niou's name and in that second of lost concentration Niou had gotten his shirt up high enough to find his tattoo. The finger tracing across it felt wholly different than Tezuka's and sent a shiver running down his spine. "Niou!" Atobe gasped and once again batted at his hands. Unfortunately, it was hard to get a person to stop and move away when he didn't really want them to go anywhere.

"Looks like we really are soulmates. Unless you have other people saying puri at you," Niou said and gave the mark another poke while winking at him. "Puri."

"No. One idiot saying it is enough," Atobe said. The touches might be doing something funny to him but that wink and puri had just annoyed him. He gave Niou's chest a solid push to put some space between them.

"Oh come on. We're soulmates. We should be able to tease each other." Niou moved back further, sidling to the other side of the bench that ran down the center of the aisle between the lockers.

"You're a thief and I'm a police officer. The only thing going on right now should be me arresting you. You can tease me after you do your time," Atobe said keeping a wary eye on the thief.

"Will you come visit me in jail?"

Atobe gave a nod. It only seemed polite to visit his soulmate in jail, especially if he was the one to put him in there. "Of course."

"Conjugal visits?"

Atobe nearly nodded again but instead threw his towel at Niou's face which he annoying caught. That was far too forward and bold. "We've only just met." And Atobe had enough class to not put out so easily.

"And? We're soulmates. We're destined to be together. The perfect fit for one another," Niou said as he stepped over the bench to once again crowd in on Atobe's space.

"That does not mean we should start fornicating like rabbits without getting to know each other first." Atobe took the towel back and turned around to shove it into his locker.

"Why? There's plenty of time to phone and write letters while I'm in jail. But if you're serious about arresting me, we only have so much time to touch and kiss." Niou moved so he was pressed against Atobe's back, the heat radiating through his thin workout clothes.

Atobe swallowed at the movement and glanced over his shoulder. "If you turn in your accomplices, you can get a reduced sentence." He couldn't talk for the district attorney's office like that but he knew enough about how it worked to know that bargains could be made and he was sure that Niou had at least one partner.

"And if I don't have any partners to turn in?"

"I'm sure you do."

"Don't think I'm smart enough to do it on my own?" Niou asked, his hands moving to Atobe's sides.

Atobe swatted his hands away again and turned around so he could better see and read Niou. "I don't know anything about you let alone if you're smart enough. But you had an earpiece in yesterday when we met so I'm assuming you were talking to a partner on that." He poked at Niou's ear.

"Clever copper," Niou said and leaned in so their noses were nearly touching. "But I'll always say I worked alone. No deals."

Atobe refused to lean back but it was hard to hold his ground when a known criminal was so close to his face. Of course his irrational desire to kiss him was not helping things. "I can admire loyalty but I thought there was no honour among thieves."

"Well I guess your soulmate is unique. Because I'm a very honourable thief. Now, the question is, are you a naughty cop? I might want to explore my handcuff kink."

"Wha-"

Atobe's shocked questioning of Niou's kink was cut off by lips pressing against his. His hands moved for just a second to push him away but then grabbed onto his clothes and pulled Niou in tight.

When they parted they were both breathing heavily and Atobe could only think that he wanted more of that. He couldn't remember any kiss feeling quite like that or making his heart race so easily. The instant physical connection with his soulmate shouldn't have been so surprising since there was plenty of literature about it but it still was. He was pleased to see that Niou looked just as dazed as he probably did by it all, too.

"Wow. I thought you'd be more virginal given your protest against conjugal visits," Niou said.

"I'm sorry to disprove your unfounded assumptions," Atobe said. He himself assumed that Niou was no blushing virgin as he was a thief and showed clear disregard for social norms. But thinking about Niou with others made him feel rather annoyed so he thought it best to not do so.

"Oh don't be sorry. I think I like being proven wrong when I get a kiss like that." And with only a bit more warning than the first time he leaned back in to kiss him again.

This time, Atobe took the chance to get in a few good gropes of Niou's ass during the kiss and gave a pleased sigh into it as Niou played with his hair. He could get used to kisses like this.

When they pulled apart, they weren't breathing as heavily but Atobe was sure the look of desire in Niou's eyes were reflected back in his own.

"Gonna arrest me now?" Niou asked. His left hand moved from Atobe's hair to poke at the police uniform hanging on the locker door.

"I fear I left my handcuffs at my desk." Atobe was sure they were in his bag but his desire to arrest Niou was for the moment replaced by a stronger desire to get more kisses from him. Tezuka would frown at him if he told him. But then Tezuka didn't have a soulmate and didn't know quite what this all felt like. Until right now neither did Atobe. He knew now that it wouldn't be as easy to see Niou arrested as he had thought this morning. But he didn't think it would be wise to let Niou - or Tezuka - know that.

"Next time then?" Niou asked stepping back from him and adjusting his clothes back into place.

"Of course. Next time. Prepare yourself to be arrested," Atobe said with all the arrogance he reserved for dealing with petty criminals. It was good that his arrogant persona was still intact enough to fall back on for what was a combination of flirting and threatening his soulmate.

"I'll look forward to it. I still want to test out this developing handcuff kink I got."

"Just leave already. You're going to make me late."

"Got it. Be safe." Niou gave Atobe a large grin and wink before moving to the locker room door to leave.

Atobe thought that was a bit of an anti-climactic way for a master thief wanted around the world to leave but it also seemed to suit what he was learning about Niou's personality. Niou seemed to be filled with interesting contradictions that were going to keep him on his toes while he figured out just what he was going to do with his soulmate and the predicament of dating a thief.

-end


End file.
